Checking our pulse: January 2020 VIP engagement pulse


Feb. 4, 2020

You made your voice heard!

Overall Engagement is trending higher, all 8 item scores improved, and most importantly, we appreciate the increase in participation rates!

January Pulse Highlights:

  • The overall UT Southwestern Engagement score is 80, an increase of +2 points over July and +7 points above the Academic Medical Center benchmark
  • Response rate is 65%, +3 points over the July survey
  • All 8 Items Improved +1 to +4 points over the July survey
  • 20% of employees reported the July survey results were not shared with them, an area for improvement across UT Southwestern
  • Click here for the UT Southwestern January Pulse summary overview

Next Steps: Share Team Results and Update Action Plans

Managers will receive an email with the link to their personalized Glint Dashboard results to share with their teams and continue to gather input on what actions will make a positive difference.

Please access the Glint dashboard, and engagement resources on the Employee Engagement website or contact the team through the Employee Engagement employeeengagement@utsouthwestern.edu


Jan. 31, 2020

Our first pulse check is wrapping up

We're in the final days take your pulse check! As of Friday morning, our overall response rate 63%. Here are the top departments in responses: 

  • University Hospitals Quality and Safety: 100%
  • Health System Strategy & Business Development: 100%
  • Heath System Nursing: 92%
  • Human Resources: 88%
  • Facilities Management: 87%
  • Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute: 85%
  • Health System Affairs Administration: 83%
  • Financial Affairs: 82%
  • Health System Operations: 78%
  • Information Resources: 77%
  • Radiation Oncology: 77%
  • Institutional Advancement: 76%

Remember, with only eight questions, it should take less than two minutes to complete the survey on your phone or computer. Check your inbox for your personalized invitation to complete the pulse check.


Jan. 30, 2020

Final days to make your voice heard

We're in the final days take your pulse check! Responses continue to climb – make sure you're voice is part of the results. So far, our overall response rate is 57%. Two departments, both in the Health System, have reached 100% participation! Here are the top departments in responses: 

  • University Hospitals Quality and Safety: 100%
  • Health System Strategy & Business Development: 100%
  • Health System Nursing: 86%
  • Human Resources: 84%
  • Facilities Management: 80%
  • Health System Affairs Administration: 79%
  • Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute: 78%
  • Financial Affairs: 77%

Remember, with only eight questions, it should take less than two minutes to complete the survey on your phone or computer. Check your inbox for your personalized invitation to complete the pulse check.


Jan. 28, 2020

It's the final week to take your pulse check

Responses continue to climb during our first ever engagement pulse check! So far, our overall response rate so far is 50%. Remember, with only eight questions, it should take less than two minutes to complete the survey on your phone or computer.

Here are the top departments in responses so far: 

  • University Hospitals Quality & Safety: 93%
  • Health System Nursing: 73%
  • Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute: 73%
  • Human Resources: 72%
  • Facilities Management: 71%
  • Financial Affairs: 70%

Want to see your department's response rate to go up? Below are some employees helping to spread the word to their colleagues.

Academic and Administrative Informations Resources have a highly-engaged team mascot promoting the pulse survey. Pictured are Will Bryant and Latonya Rosales.

The Health Information Management Coding and Clinical Data Integrity team lined up to spread the word with their colleagues. Pictured are Rachel Vaden, Tanya Rumbold-Warren, LaToshe Davis, Antionette Simmons, Tammy Hale, and Deshia Hardy.


 Jan. 24, 2020

Initial response rates are in! One more week to take your pulse check

We're wrapping up the first week of our first ever engagement pulse check, and response rates are looking great! Our overall response rate so far is 39%. Remember, with only eight questions, it should take less than two minutes to complete the survey on your phone or computer.

Here are the top departments in responses so far: 

  • University Hospitals Quality & Safety: 79%
  • Health System Nursing: 69%
  • University Hospitals Administration: 64%
  • Financial Affairs: 62%
  • Human Resources: 62%
  • Institutional Advancement: 61%
  • Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute: 60%

Want to see your department's response rate to go up? Below are some employees helping to spread the word to their colleagues.  

In Safety and High Reliability, part of Health System Affairs, these employees kept the VIP pulse top of mind: Samantha Bhatt, HSQ Program Manager; Anju Varghese, HSA Manager; and Stephanie Orgass, HSN Patient Safety Coordinator.

In Facilities Management, shuttle driver Lonnie Chatmon made a convenient kiosk stop.


Jan. 13, 2020

Values in Practice (VIP) employee engagement pulse check coming Jan. 20-31

This Monday, Jan. 20, all nonfaculty employees will receive a brief pulse check survey to determine if we are making progress on key areas that you highlighted in the July engagement survey. The pulse check will:

  • Be brief: With only eight items, it should take less than two minutes to complete on your phone or computer.
  • Measure progress: Your input helps determine if action plans are effective and what modifications managers and their teams need to make.
  • Be inclusive: You’re invited to take the pulse survey regardless of whether you are new to UTSW since July, or whether you responded to the July survey – every single opinion counts and is valued.
  • Remain confidential: Glint is a third-party vendor, ensuring the privacy of responses.

Look for your personalized email survey invitation from Glint on Jan. 20 with the subject line: “UT Southwestern wants your feedback,” and respond candidly by Friday, Jan. 31.

If you have any questions related to your specific pulse survey, support@glintinc.com Glint, visit the Employee Engagement page on MyUTSW for up-to-date engagement information and FAQs, or contact the Employee Engagement via EmployeeEngagement@UTSouthwestern.edu with questions about the pulse initiative.


Jan. 9, 2020

Managers make their mark: Melanie Carithers

Following the 2019 Values in Practice (VIP) employee engagement survey, and in preparation for the follow-up pulse coming Jan. 20-31, the Organizational Development and Training team is reaching out to high-performing managers to get their take on leadership that encourages engagement and dialogue.

Melanie Carithers (circled) and the Early Detection for Breast and Cervical team at the Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth

Melanie Carithers, Manager, Early Detection for Breast and Cervical at the Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth, leads engagement as “one of the team.” She fosters high levels of engagement where the nursing team delivers “patient first” service with excellence. Here is what she shared about her success.

On transparent decision-making

Throughout ongoing guidance from preceptors and team leads, nurses and staff are emerged into a problem solving, learning culture. Ms. Carithers emphasized that it is OK to say, “I don’t know,” or “Let’s figure this out together.” More importantly, she believes that employees should be able to learn as they go. This philosophy and decentralization allows the employees to benefit from daily peer-to-peer open communications and further make decisions, resolve conflict, and provide care at the job level where staff feel empowered to speak their mind.

Ms. Carithers meets with team leads weekly to share success stories and manage up as needed. These practices build the trust needed for when she cascades top-down business decisions the team has confidence that she is sharing the truth and/or as much information as is known at the time.

On recognition

Recognition and development are prioritized, ongoing, and fun! Whether celebrating individual birthdays, hosting a team ice cream break, or planning the annual luncheon to acknowledge everyone’s extraordinary efforts during Cancer Awareness Month, she finds many opportunities to demonstrate that she genuinely appreciates her team and cares about their career growth.

On her leadership style

Her secret to high team engagement – she is “one of the team.” She is comfortable taking charge or jumping in with the team, whichever is necessary in order to make herself available. Her door is always open and she is happy to keep it so – and her team shines for it!


Dec. 5, 2019

Managers make their mark: LaToshe Davis

When it comes to speaking their minds, LaToshe Davis’ team members in Health Information Management Coding and Clinical Data Integrity know they have the opportunity.

In the recent Values in Practice employee engagement survey, the team was in the top 25 scoring groups on the subject Speak My Mind. The Organizational Development and Training team picked Ms. Davis’ brain: What was she doing to get such a great result?

Ms. Davis’ nationwide, remote outpatient coding team is productive and engaged. Team members know they can speak up. The team starts every Monday morning with a 15-minute “Power Up” Skype call to discuss the accountability of the past week’s metrics, celebrate wins, and collaborate on priorities of the week ahead. Keeping the decentralized team engaged, Ms. Davis inspires on-the-spot feedback for case insights, transparent dashboards, system processes, peer consultations, and more!

Her secret is letting every staff member know, through team and one-on-one meetings, that she cares about their success and is open for them to speak their mind – and in return, she takes pride in how the team shines in UTSW core values and collectively delivers on customer service excellence.

Ms. Davis, congrats to you and your entire team on receiving top engagement scores!